1. Field of Technology
The present principles relate to surgical procedures which are performed laparoscopically, regardless of the nature or type of the surgery itself. More specifically, they relate to the field of instruments and systems for use in laparoscopic surgery and to methods for using said instruments and systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Laparoscopy has become an extremely common surgical modality in the treatment of various intra-abdominal problems. During laparoscopy, a laparoscope is inserted through a trocar in the abdominal wall.
A laparoscope is a type of endoscope used in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Laparoscopes are typically used with other surgical instruments to help diagnose and treat various conditions. During laparoscopic procedures, the surgeon inserts the laparoscope and other instruments through one or more small incisions or punctures in the abdominal wall. Laparoscopic surgery is often preferred over traditional open procedures because of the small size of each abdominal incision, reduced postoperative pain, and shorter hospitalization and recovery time.
A laparoscope's optical system employs a series of as many as 20 elements that provide magnification, a wide field of view, and high resolution visualization f the area under treatment. The most common optical design is the rod-lens system, which uses long, closely spaced, rod like lenses. The rod-lens system conveys a bright, detailed image because the rod shaped lens transmits a large amount of reflected light and have a wide angle of view. The lens system, contained within the shaft of the laparoscope, is surrounded by a bundle of illuminating fibers that parallel the long axis of the laparoscope and connect to a light source by means of a flexible fiber optic cable.
One of the problems encountered during the use of laparoscopes is clouding or fogging of the tip thereby preventing clear view and visualization to the surgeon. This problem can occur, for example, when a cool laparoscope is inserted into a warm peritoneal cavity. Fogging can also occur from the condensed moisture in the body cavity. Heating the laparoscope in warm saline solution before insertion currently alleviates lens fogging. The lens of the laparoscope can also be obscured by body fluids, blood or other organic material, including bodily tissues, displaced by the surgical activity.
Currently, surgeons frequently find the lens of the scope requires cleaning to restore maximum visibility. The current procedure for cleaning the scope lens requires removal of the scope from the body, followed by a lens cleaning process, followed by reinsertion of the scope into the body. While the frequency of lens cleaning varies from procedure to procedure, it would be desirable to be able to clean the scope lens while it is inside the body.
The present principles seek to overcome the deficiencies in the art to provide improved apparatus and methods for cleaning a laparoscope lens during a procedure without requiring removal of the laparoscope lens from the body.
The apparatus and methods described herein are applicable to any laparoscopic devices, including endoscopes, currently known and used in the art, or any improvements thereto. For example, laparoscopic devices that can be used with the apparatus and methods of the present principles include, but are not limited to, those by Applied Medical Technologies, Cook Endoscopy, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, H.M.B. Endoscopy Products, Horizons International Corp., InScope, Integrated Medical Systems International, Inc., Karl Storz Endoscopy, Olympus Medical Endoscope & Surgical Products, Pentax Medical, Smith & Nephew Endocopy, Spirus Medical, Stryker Endoscopy, US Endoscopy, and US Surgical. Furthermore, those devices described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,148,550, 4,148,551, 4,440,157, 4,576,147, 4,610,242, 4,617,933, 4,624,243, 4,742,818, 4,745,470, 4,779,613, 4,854,302, 4,919,112, 4,964,710, 5,114,422, 5,190,028, 5,278,642, 5,299,560, 5,352,237, 5,359,453, 5,369,525, 5,412,504, 5,416,634, 5,447,148, 5,458,133, 5,538,496, 5,634,881, 5,817,015, 5,954,637, 6,120,434, and 6,387,044 can also be used with the apparatus and methods of the present invention.
All documents cited or referenced herein (“herein cited documents”), and all documents cited or referenced in herein cited documents, together with any manufacturer's instructions, descriptions, product specifications, and product sheets for any products mentioned herein or in any document incorporated by reference herein, are hereby incorporated herein by reference, and may be employed in the practice of the invention. Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention.